Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation02:39

Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation

The physical form of a substance changes on changing its temperature. For example, raising the temperature of a liquid causes the liquid to vaporize (convert into vapor). The process is called vaporization—a surface phenomenon. Vaporization occurs when the thermal motion of the molecules overcome the intermolecular forces, and the molecules (at the surface) escape into the gaseous state. When a liquid vaporizes in a closed container, gas molecules cannot escape. As these gas phase molecules...
Two Components: Liquid–Liquid Systems01:27

Two Components: Liquid–Liquid Systems

A pressure-composition phase diagram explicitly describes the behavior of an ideal solution of two volatile liquids under varying pressures and compositions. A pressure-composition diagram has two main curves. The bubble point curve represents the plot of pressure versus liquid mole fraction. It indicates the pressure at which the first bubble of vapor forms from the liquid phase as the system pressure decreases.The dew point curve is the pressure versus vapor mole fraction. It indicates the...
Phase Diagrams of Ternary Systems01:28

Phase Diagrams of Ternary Systems

Consider a ternary system, which is composed of three components: water (W), ethanoic acid (E), and trichloromethane (T). Here, Ethanoic acid (E) is fully miscible with both water (W) and trichloromethane (T), meaning it can mix entirely with either of them. However, water and trichloromethane have partial miscibility, meaning they can only mix to a certain extent, beyond which two separate phases will form.The phase diagram of a ternary system is represented as an equilateral triangle, where...
Phase Diagram01:19

Phase Diagram

The phase of a given substance depends on the pressure and temperature. Thus, plots of pressure versus temperature showing the phase in each region provide considerable insights into the thermal properties of substances. Such plots are known as phase diagrams. For instance, in the phase diagram for water (Figure 1), the solid curve boundaries between the phases indicate phase transitions (i.e., temperatures and pressures at which the phases coexist).
Phase Diagram01:24

Phase Diagram

A phase diagram is a graphical representation of the physical states of a substance under different conditions of temperature and pressure. It shows the boundaries between solid, liquid, and gas phases and the conditions at which these phases coexist in equilibrium. An area in a phase diagram represents a single phase, whereas lines or phase boundaries represent the equilibrium between two phases.In the phase diagram of water, the boundary line between the solid and liquid states illustrates...
Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition02:33

Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition

Some solids can transition directly into the gaseous state, bypassing the liquid state, via a process known as sublimation. At room temperature and standard pressure, a piece of dry ice (solid CO2) sublimes, appearing to gradually disappear without ever forming any liquid. Snow and ice sublimate at temperatures below the melting point of water, a slow process that may be accelerated by winds and the reduced atmospheric pressures at high altitudes. When solid iodine is warmed, the solid sublimes...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Effects of surface roughness on droplet impact dynamics.

Soft matter·2026
Same author

A microfluidic spore chamber for long-term imaging of single-spore hyphal development.

Fungal genetics and biology : FG & B·2026
Same author

A Versatile Method for Creating Ultrathin Films of Polyzwitterions with Antifouling Properties.

ACS applied materials & interfaces·2026
Same author

Leveraging Combinatorial Sputtering to Investigate Ferroelectric Properties of the Hf<sub><i>x</i></sub>Zr<sub>1-<i>x</i></sub>O<sub>2</sub> System.

ACS applied materials & interfaces·2026
Same author

Ion transport through reconfigurable nanoparticle-surfactant stabilized droplet interface bilayers.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

Protein Adhesion on Semi-Fluorinated Polystyrene Surfaces in Static and Dynamic Measurements.

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 14, 2026

Aqueous Droplets Used as Enzymatic Microreactors and Their Electromagnetic Actuation
08:27

Aqueous Droplets Used as Enzymatic Microreactors and Their Electromagnetic Actuation

Published on: August 28, 2017

Aqueous two-phase microdroplets with reversible phase transitions.

Jonathan B Boreyko1, Prachya Mruetusatorn, Scott T Retterer

  • 1Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6493, USA.

Lab on a Chip
|February 6, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers created femtolitre aqueous two-phase systems in microdroplets to mimic cell cytoplasm. This system allows controlled, reversible transformations of single microdroplets for dynamic microcompartmentation studies.

More Related Videos

Fabricating High-viscosity Droplets using Microfluidic Capillary Device with Phase-inversion Co-flow Structure
08:02

Fabricating High-viscosity Droplets using Microfluidic Capillary Device with Phase-inversion Co-flow Structure

Published on: April 17, 2018

Combining Microfluidics and Microrheology to Determine Rheological Properties of Soft Matter during Repeated Phase Transitions
11:38

Combining Microfluidics and Microrheology to Determine Rheological Properties of Soft Matter during Repeated Phase Transitions

Published on: April 19, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 14, 2026

Aqueous Droplets Used as Enzymatic Microreactors and Their Electromagnetic Actuation
08:27

Aqueous Droplets Used as Enzymatic Microreactors and Their Electromagnetic Actuation

Published on: August 28, 2017

Fabricating High-viscosity Droplets using Microfluidic Capillary Device with Phase-inversion Co-flow Structure
08:02

Fabricating High-viscosity Droplets using Microfluidic Capillary Device with Phase-inversion Co-flow Structure

Published on: April 17, 2018

Combining Microfluidics and Microrheology to Determine Rheological Properties of Soft Matter during Repeated Phase Transitions
11:38

Combining Microfluidics and Microrheology to Determine Rheological Properties of Soft Matter during Repeated Phase Transitions

Published on: April 19, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Microfluidics
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Cellular cytoplasm exhibits dynamic microcompartmentation, crucial for biological processes.
  • Mimicking this intracellular environment is key for understanding cellular functions and developing new biotechnologies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To demonstrate the generation of femtolitre aqueous two-phase (ATPS) droplets in a microfluidic system.
  • To enable controlled, sequential phase transformations within isolated microdroplets.
  • To provide a platform for studying dynamic microcompartmentation and affinity partitioning.

Main Methods:

  • Generation of ATPS microdroplets within a microfluidic oil channel using gated pressure pulses.
  • Controlled isolation of individual, stationary microdroplets.
  • Induction of reversible phase transitions (single-phase, two-phase, core-shell) via evaporation-induced dehydration and rehydration.

Main Results:

  • Successfully generated femtolitre ATPS microdroplets with a defined time zero.
  • Achieved reversible phase transitions between different states (single-phase, two-phase, core-shell).
  • Demonstrated controlled isolation and transformation of single microdroplets, unlike continuous-flow systems.

Conclusions:

  • The developed microfluidic system offers precise control over ATPS microdroplets.
  • This platform facilitates the study of dynamic microcompartmentation and affinity partitioning in a cell-mimicking environment.
  • The system's ability to isolate and reversibly transform single droplets opens new avenues for biochemical and cell biology research.